Avatar of Kevin Chung

Kevin Chung NM

Username: BulletMercenary

Playing Since: 2010-11-21 (Active)

Wow Factor: ♟♟♟♟♟♟

Chess.com

Rapid: 2017
481W / 66L / 39D
Blitz: 2267
1176W / 675L / 156D
Bullet: 2545
3840W / 2366L / 502D

Overview

Kevin Chung, known online as BulletMercenary, is a National Master and a celebrated chess streamer. He earned the National Master title from National, a badge that marks years of hard work, sharp calculation, and a love of fast-paced battles. His preferred battleground is Bullet, where he blends rapid-fire tactics with humor and clear explanations for viewers who love both brains and banter. His peak Bullet rating crested above 2810 in the mid-2010s, and he’s kept a broad presence across Blitz, Rapid, and rapid-fire online events.

Bullet Rating201020112014201520202021202220232024202528142466YearBullet Rating

Career Highlights

  • National Master title earned through consistent results and dedication to improvement.
  • Long-running presence in the Bullet scene, with a career spanning well over a decade of competitive play.
  • Notable resilience and stamina shown in long Bullets and fast time controls, earning a reputation as a dependable, creative challenger.
  • Streaks and confidence built through sustained success, including a lengthy winning streak that underscored his tenacity in short time formats.

Openings and Style

BulletMercenary favors aggressive, dynamic lines that keep opponents on their toes. His repertoire includes the Amar Gambit and sharp, active setups in Modern and Bird Opening variations, as well as robust responses in the French and Caro-Kann when the moment calls for solidity. In Blitz and Rapid, his willingness to take calculated risks often pays off, while in Bullet he combines precision with quick, practical ideas that help teach complex concepts in a minute or less.

Streaming and Community

Beyond the board, Kevin thrives as a streamer, sharing accessible explanations, post‑game analysis, and a lighthearted vibe that makes chess entertaining for beginners and seasoned players alike. He interacts with viewers, breaks down key ideas, and encourages others to try bold ideas in their own games. You can find his ongoing journey under the BulletMercenary banner, a handle that mirrors his fast, fearless approach to the game. Kevin Chung

Signature Moments

From early triumphs to modern creativity, Kevin’s career shows a consistent push toward higher-level thinking under time pressure. His openings performance and long-form data reflect a player who adapts, experiments, and keeps the fun in fundamentals. For a quick taste of his style, consider a sample line or two from his Bullet repertoire, where imagination meets calculation in real time.


Coach Chesswick's Profile Photo
Coach Chesswick

Kevin Chung - Game Performance Review

Great job on your recent games, Kevin! You've shown a strong understanding of opening principles and middle game tactics, which is impressive. Here are some tailored points to help you continue your progress:

Strengths

  • Opening Preparation: You consistently choose solid and thematic openings like the Danish Gambit, Nimzowitsch-Larsen Attack, and various Queen Pawn systems. Your awareness of key ideas puts you in good positions early on.
  • Tactical Awareness: Your games demonstrate sharp tactical vision, winning material and launching effective attacks, especially in the middlegame. For example, in your most recent win, you successfully leveraged piece activity with moves like Qe6+ and timely exchanges.
  • Time Management: You maintain a good pace, allowing yourself sufficient time to calculate critical positions. This is crucial in live games under clock pressure.

Areas to Improve

  • Endgame Technique: In some losses, particularly those going into technical endings, there are opportunities to improve precision. Working on fundamental endgame knowledge (king and pawn, rook endgames) will pay dividends in converting advantages or defending tough positions.
  • Handling Pressure in Complex Positions: There were moments where the tension in the position increased (such as in close tactical skirmishes) where alternative moves might have alleviated pressure or improved your position. Taking a moment to consider opponent threats carefully can reduce these risks.
  • Opening Variations and Flexibility: While your opening repertoire is solid, occasionally opponents caught you off-guard with less common sidelines. Expanding your familiarity in those areas might increase your confidence against surprise lines.

Recommendations

  • Review and practice key endgame studies focusing on rook and pawn endgames to strengthen conversion skills.
  • Analyze your losses in detail, focusing on critical junctures where you faced aggressive opponent play to identify alternative defensive resources.
  • Supplement your existing openings with preparation of sidelines and anti-gambit ideas to better handle unusual opponent setups.
  • Use
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    and
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    to track your progress and identify when your performance peaks, adjusting your training accordingly.

Encouragement

Overall, you are on a solid trajectory. Keep up your dedication, keep analyzing your games thoroughly, and continue challenging yourself against stronger opposition. Improvement will come steadily with effort and reflection!

Keep up the great work, Kevin!



🆚 Opponent Insights

Most Played Opponents
iliachess2007 304W / 253L / 61D View Games
JustResignPlz 180W / 66L / 18D View Games
Aman Hambleton 56W / 161L / 7D View Games
David Zhurbinsky 111W / 87L / 14D View Games
25elevin 108W / 14L / 3D View Games

Rating

Year Bullet Blitz Rapid Daily
2025 2547 2267
2024 2526 2296
2023 2528 2344
2022 2511 2266 2017
2021 2466 2264 2264
2020 2548 2348 2166
2015 2814
2014 2792
2011 2784 2129
2010 2663
Rating by Year201020112014201520202021202220232024202528142017YearRatingBulletBlitzRapid

Stats by Year

Year White Black Moves
2025 8W / 6L / 0D 7W / 4L / 1D 78.3
2024 12W / 10L / 1D 12W / 7L / 3D 72.0
2023 48W / 23L / 2D 49W / 18L / 4D 75.1
2022 782W / 233L / 77D 726W / 279L / 65D 74.7
2021 1533W / 750L / 203D 1460W / 810L / 162D 76.7
2020 1540W / 802L / 183D 1516W / 873L / 176D 81.3
2015 5W / 0L / 0D 5W / 0L / 0D 89.3
2014 1W / 0L / 0D 1W / 0L / 0D 61.5
2011 36W / 27L / 3D 36W / 32L / 0D 83.4
2010 10W / 2L / 1D 8W / 5L / 0D 73.5

Openings: Most Played

Bullet Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Amar Gambit 556 330 191 35 59.4%
Modern 434 283 133 18 65.2%
Australian Defense 389 258 108 23 66.3%
Scandinavian Defense 377 236 114 27 62.6%
French Defense 369 227 127 15 61.5%
Caro-Kann Defense 365 224 110 31 61.4%
Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit 363 230 105 28 63.4%
French Defense: Exchange Variation 324 205 102 17 63.3%
French Defense: Advance Variation 275 161 95 19 58.5%
Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation 252 137 97 18 54.4%
Blitz Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit 177 107 55 15 60.5%
Unknown 159 110 48 1 69.2%
Modern 128 80 40 8 62.5%
Amar Gambit 125 82 37 6 65.6%
French Defense: Advance Variation 119 70 32 17 58.8%
Caro-Kann Defense 97 64 26 7 66.0%
French Defense: Exchange Variation 91 54 30 7 59.3%
French Defense 85 56 21 8 65.9%
Czech Defense 77 44 26 7 57.1%
Scandinavian Defense 74 51 18 5 68.9%
Rapid Opening Games Wins Losses Draws Win Rate
French Defense: Advance Variation 82 62 13 7 75.6%
Center Game 71 67 3 1 94.4%
French Defense 63 58 1 4 92.1%
Bird Opening: Dutch Variation, Batavo Gambit 50 37 7 6 74.0%
Scandinavian Defense 41 36 3 2 87.8%
Caro-Kann Defense 33 27 4 2 81.8%
Scotch Game 31 23 3 5 74.2%
Barnes Defense 30 29 0 1 96.7%
French Defense: Exchange Variation 26 22 3 1 84.6%
Nimzo-Larsen Attack 21 14 4 3 66.7%

🔥 Streaks

Streak Longest Current
Winning 43 0
Losing 17 1
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